German Parliament Votes to Send Anti-ISIS Support to Syria

Members of Germany’s Parliament approved Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to send forces to Syria in support of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Friday.

Germany will deploy 1,200 troops as part of the one-year mission, which is projected to cost $142 million, al-Jazeera reports. Germany will also send six military jets, a refueling aircraft and a frigate. The aim of the mission is to bolster the international coalition, rather than engage in active combat. The lawmakers approved the measures by 445 votes to 146.

The German army said the forces will operate “in and over Syria where ISIS is operating, on the territory of states whose governments have given approval [to Germany], in the eastern Mediterranean, Gulf, Red Sea and adjoining seas,” according to the BBC.

Merkel and the conservative-led coalition that voted the plan through faced opposition from Germany’s Left party and members of the Green party.

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